A Night of Terror
by TLG03
Summary: The school can be a fun a place to spend a night but what would you do if that night might be your last? How will the Cutie Mark Crusaders survive when they find themselves on the run from a dark ghostly figure that is haunting Canterlot High School?
1. Chapter 1

"Well, class I have some bad news. I'm afraid the rumors we've all been hearing all around the school for the past several weeks are true. The school will be shutting down and it's doors will be closed as of tonight. However, there's a very nice school across town that you all will be attending from now on," Miss Cheerilee informed her class as she stood behind her desk.

"What!? No way?! No Fair! What are we gonna do," the class protested unhappily.

"Why is the school closing down? Miss. Cheerilee," one of the students asked from his seat.

"Well, I'm afraid it's because the school is running out of funding and it has not choice but to close up. Now, that's it's the last day that we'll be all together. What do you say we all go outside and have some fun," the school teacher said smiling at her classes.

"Can we play baseball," one of her students asked raising his hand.

"That's a possibility," Miss. Cheerilee replied cheerfully.

It was a cool day in fall.

"Wow. So, I can't believe the school is really shutting down forever," Sweetie Belle sighed as she sat on the grass talking with Apple Bloom and Scootaloo and wondered how she would manage at the new school that she would soon be attending while watching her breath hanging in the cool air.

"It's sad really. There so much more that I wanted to do here at our school. What I wouldn't give for just one more night that I could spend here," lamented Scootaloo who was sitting next to Sweetie Belle.

"Well, I don't know about you but I wouldn't want to be here in the school tonight," Pipsqueak interjected as he walked up to the girls. For you see the real reason that the school is closing is because there's a ghost that's been haunting the place. People say that the ghost is a long-lost spirit of a former student who use to attend our school long ago. They say he passed away when he was about our age because on one very cold winter evening he spent the entire night sitting alone on the swings in the playground staring at the moon until he died from hypothermia," Pipsqueak went on to explain.

"Really there's a ghost here in the school," Scootaloo gasped in wide eyed panic!

Scootaloo was afraid of ghost.

"Oh. Pipsqueak! Don't be silly. There no such thing as ghost," Sweetie Belle giggled.

One of Pipsqueak's friends then called to him from across the yard and he ran off to see what they wanted.

"Wow! That sounds so cool! I've read a lot of spooky books about ghost! What do you girls go say we all come here to the school later on tonight and try and see this ghost for our self's," Apple Bloom exclaimed.

"Yeah! I'm in," Responded Sweetie Belle.

"No Way! It's just too scary," Cried out Scootaloo.

"Oh. Come on Scootaloo. It might be fun," Apple Bloom tried to convince her friend.

It took the girls a few minutes to try and talk Scootaloo into coming with them but they finally managed it.


	2. Chapter 2

The night was cold dark and silent. A full moon sat in the sky. A chilling wind blew through the trees and softly an owl hooted in the distance as Scootaloo Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle all met near the front of the school not long after sundown.

"Did you girls have any trouble sneaking out," Sweetie Belle asked her friends.

"No, I put a pillow under my blankets so Apple Jack shouldn't know I'm gone," Apple Bloom replied.

"I told Rarity that I was I would be spending the night at a friend's house. How about you Scootaloo what did you tell your parents," Apple Bloom asked.

"Well, I told them that I would be having a sleep over at Rainbow Dash's house," the purple haired child responded apprehensively as she gazed at the spooky moonlit school.

All the doors were locked tight so the three young girls had to climb in through a first story side window. In despite their best effort to entire silently through the window they three children fell down from the window sill and landed on the ground inside the classroom with a thud.

"Is everyone OK," Groaned Apple Bloom.

"We're OK." Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle groaned in response as they all stood up and looked around the dark room.

"This looks like the science lab," Sweetie Belle commented as her eyes adjusted to the darkness. She then turned around suddenly and cried out in fear as she greeted by the sight of a skeleton standing in the corner.

"Be quiet," Apple Bloom told her.

The girls then stumbled through the dark room for a minute trying to find the door. They dare not turn on the lights for fear of someone outside the school see it and discovering them. After they managed to get to the door and make their way into the hallway they stopped for a short moment and looked around. The school which was once so bright and full of life and movement and that seemed so familiar to them now appeared to be dark cold empty and still. It was as if they were seeing the school for the very first time. They stood there in the cold dark silence of that hallway without moving a muscle for what seemed like an eternity.

"So, what do you girls wanna do first? We can run around all over the school or we could and make a mess with the paints in the art room or we could spray paint all the locks red," Sweetie Belle exclaimed in a voice that was load enough to wake the dead.

"Shhh!" Scootaloo whispered. Placing her hand over Sweetie Belle's mouth. "Be Quiet! What if someone hears you! We could get into a lot of trouble if we get busted," Scootaloo warned her friend in a spooked tone of voice.

"Stop being such a chicken. No one is around. We're all alone here," answered Sweetie Belle after she pulled Scootaloo's hand away from her mouth. "Or maybe your just afraid that the ghost will get ya!" Sweetie Belle playfully teased Scootaloo.

"I am not a chicken," the purple eyed girl shot back.

"Be quiet," interjected Apple Bloom. "We'll all friends here and we shouldn't fight. Besides, I know what we can do first," the redhead said turning to her friends with a excited smile. "Let's go to Miss. Cheerilee's classroom do the one thing that we've always talked about doing there," she whispered.

"Y-Y-You mean," Sweetie Belle stammered.

"Oh! Yes," Apple Bloom giggled devilishly.

"I can't believe were actually going to do this! This is going to be amazing," Apple Bloom said as she and her two friends walked slowly and quietly down the dark cold hallway towards Miss. Cheerilee's classroom and opened the door and walked inside.

Scootaloo eyes kept darting in every direction as she kept a sharp look out for anything that looked like a ghost.

"You girls ready for this," an enthusiastic Apple Bloom said as she handed each of her friends a sheet of stickers with gold stars on them. They all proceed to stick as many gold stars as they could on a chart that hung on the wall of the classroom that had all of the students names of Miss. Cheerilee's class on it. The three girls giggled and laughed together happily as they put as many stickers as they could manage next to their names.

"So, what do you want to do now," Apple Bloom asked after she and and Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle finished sticking the last of their gold stars on the chart.

"I know what we can do next just follow me," Sweetie Belle answered as she lead the way out of the classroom and headed towards the library.

"Woo! Hooo!" Cheered Scootaloo. Forgetting her fears for a moment as she sat on one end of a wooden rolling book cart and was sent sailing across the library and out its front doors into the hallway.

"Yeah! Go! Scootaloo! Go," Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both cheered together as they pushed the cart their friend was sitting on with all their ten-year-old might.

The girls all took turns pushing each other on the rolling cart to try and see who could roll the furthest. After that the girls took the opportunity to practice some their best dance moves with each other atop the library's tables whilst singing like a bunch of nincompoops. Once they had finished in the library they all walked down the hallway where Scootaloo saw something standing in a glass case that was in the middle of the hallway. It's was the hall monitor's sash. She always wanted to be a hall monitor but principle Celestia would never let her. The orange skinned female stopped and slid open the glass case and slowly removed the sash and placed it on herself, feeling very powerful.

"That looks good on you," Apple Bloom remarked as she watched her friend put it on.

The girls then went to the cafeteria where after looking around inside the kitchen they discovered a box twelve apple flavored cup cakes with pink frosting inside one of the refrigerators.

"These cupcakes are good," Apple Bloom said with her mouth half full. As she and her friends sat atop one of the metal tables in the kitchen.

"Oh! Yeah! Their great," Sweetie Belle replied stuffing another cupcake in her mouth.

"Delicious," Scootaloo added reaching for another cupcake.

Tap, tap, tap.

"Say do you girls hear that," Scootaloo asked nervously as she heard what sounded like foot falls from down the hallway.

"Your just hearing things," retorted Sweetie Belle.

"No. I hear it too," Apple Bloom gasped in alarm as she jumped off the table with her friends and they all looked around for a place to hide. "Someone is coming! We have to get out of here now!"

They all scampered as fast as they could into the walk-in refrigerator and closed the door behind themselves and did their best to stay low to the floor as not to be seen. The thee ten-year-old girls huddled together shaking in fear. Their hearts pounded! Their pulses raced! Their young minds were in a flurried panic of dread! All they could do was hold their breath and close their eyes as the sound of the foot falls came closer and closer! The Cutie Mark Crusader's night of fun had now become a night of terror!

Tap, Tap, Tap, the sound of the footsteps came closer and close and stopped just outside the door of the walk-in refrigerator where the girls where hiding.

"I just wanna go home! This is just a bad dream! Someone please help us! The ghost is going to get us," the three-young girl thought desperately to themselves in fear!

Then suddenly there came a banging noise from out in the hallway. The three crusaders all simultaneously slowly breathed a long sigh of relief as the heard the foot falls move away in the direction of the banging sound.

"I don't know about you girls but I think we should all get out of here and head home now before we all get turned into ghost food," Scootaloo stated in a shaky tone of voice as she slowly stood up and reached for the door handle that was on the inside of the refrigerator door and discovered that it was not working!

"No! No! No!" Exclaimed Scootaloo in a panic as she tried frantically to open the door.

The girls spent the next few minutes trying to open the door with no luck.

"Don't tell me that we're locked in! We'll freeze to death in here, a frightened Scootaloo fretted aloud.

"I don't want to become an apple sickle!" Proclaimed Apple Bloom in dread filled anxiety!

After sitting inside the dark cold refrigerator for what seemed like forever they heard the sound of someone jiggling the door handle from the outside. They huddled together in fear from what might be on the other side of the door. 


	3. Chapter 3

The three girls slowly looked up apprehensively and were greeted by the sight of a boy who looked to be their age. He had blue hair with silver strips running through it and matching blue eyes along with light blue skin. He wore long black pants and a white shirt with black sneakers.

"Is everything all right in here," he asked looking down at them in confusion.

"We're fine. Thanks for opening the door," Apple Bloom said to the mysterious boy whom she or neither of her friends had ever seen before as the slowly walked out of the walk in refrigerator into the dark kitchen.

"Your welcome. My name is 'Silver Mane.' I'm a student here at this school," he explained.

"I'm Apple bloom and this is Sweetie Belle and Scootaloo."

"What are you doing here," Sweetie Belle inquired.

"Well if you must know if looking for a friend of mine. She and I got into a disagreement and I was hoping that she might still be here at the school so that I could tell her that I'm sorry. Her name is Ivy. Have you seen her anywhere," Silver Mane qustioned.

"No sorry," Apple Bloom informed him.

"I hate to break this thing up but we've all gotta get out of here now before the ghost gets us," Scootaloo cut in as she lead the way out of the kitchen with her two friends and Silver Mane behind her.

"We should turn on the lights! Ghost don't like lights! Scootaloo told her friends as they made their way out into the hallway and she reached for the light switch that was on the wall. As she reached her hand up a bolt of lightning suddenly and without any warning struck the top of the school knocking out the electricity to the entire building. The girls jumped at the sound of it.

"Come on work! Please work," the purple hair ten-year-old pleaded as she flipped the light switch up and down with no luck.

"My cell phone can't get a signal either," Sweetie Belle said in dismay as she tried to dial her home number.

A heavy cold rainstorm had justed started to fall outside it flashed with fearsome lighting and banged with claps or thunder.

"The storm is what must be keeping my cell phone from getting a signal," surmised Sweetie Belle in a panic.

Thud, thud, thud. The haunting sound of heavy foot falls came from down the dark hallway only this time they were accompanied by the chilling rattling sound that are made by rusty chains!

"It's the ghost!" The girls cried out as they turned and dashed down the hallway. They were followed by Silver Mane who seemed to having some trouble keeping up.

The girls ran to a nearby side door that lead them to the outside of the school and much to their horror they found that someone or something had placed a heavy metal chain and pad lock on the it.

"Come this way! I know where we can hide," Silver Mane huffed sounding out of breath as he finally managed to catch up to the three girls. He lead them to a nearby classroom where they all took shelter in a closet trying to bury themselves under some coats and jackets for protection as the sound of the foot falls and chains kept getting closer and closer! The girls huddled around the boy and placed their arms around him while closing their eyes tightly! Their minds filled with fear and panic! They all sat inside the closet and heard the classroom door slowly creak open. The sound of the footsteps seemed to make their way all around the dark classroom and then stop just outside the closet door. They all sat there in the closet not making a sound for what seemed like an eternity as the rain and thunder and lightning continued outside.

Suddenly a load bang came from the hallway and the sound of the foot falls slowly left the classroom. The four children slowly opened the closet door and peeked out and saw nothing but a cold dark and empty room. The girls all slowly and quietly tip toed out of the closet. Scootaloo looked back into the closet and saw Silver Mane who seemed to be having a little difficulty standing up and walking.

"Are you OK," she questioned him sounding concerned.

"I'm fine. Don't worry about me," he repiled

"Are you sure," Scootaloo continued to ask.

"Yeah you don't look like your doing so good," added Sweetie Belle as she too noticed the boy struggling to stand up and walk.

"Well since you asked. I suffer from a very mild case of a condition called 'spastic diplegia' in both my legs. It's a mild form of cerebral palsy. I've had it ever since I was born. I can still walk stand and jump and do everything else that anyone else can under my own power without crutches or anything like that. I just do it a little bit slower that's all." the boy explained as he slowly got to his feet.

"We didn't notice that about you before. Well I'm sorry to hear that," the girls told him with much compassion.

"Thank you for your concern but I fine really," he smiled as he finally managed to stand up. "Well, you girls should probably get out of here and escape for the school before the ghost gets you. I'll just slow you down. Besides I still need to try and find Ivy. She still might be here in the school somewhere," the disabled boy said as she he started to head to the classroom door.

"No way! We're not leaving here without you! We're the Cutie Mark Crusader's and we just don't leave our friends behind and your our friend now Silver Mane and if you don't leave this school then neither will we! We won't stop until we help you find your friend and we're all home safe and sound," the three ten-year-old girls declared in unison.

"We're friends? Just like that," the boy said.

"Oh you know it and now that you're our friend you can be the newest member of the CMC," they said as the all hugged the boy tightly.

"Thank you all so much," He smiled.

"Now let's all go and find your friend," Apple Bloom said happily.

"Do you have any idea where she might be," Sweetie Belle questioned as they continued to hug the boy.

"Well I know one place we can look," he pondered as made his way out of the dark classroom with the girls.


	4. Chapter 4

"What's this place? I've never see this part of the school before," Scootaloo whispered as she and her friends all made their way down a long flight of cold concrete stairs that lead to the basement.

"This is where Mrs. Zinnia's classroom is. She's teaches a small class of special Ed students. All the special Ed kids have to stay down here in the basement all day so that way we don't bother the normal students. Because of that I don't have many friends and that's why you've most likely never seen me around school before," explained Silver Mane sounding depressed as he thought about how great it would be too able to socialize with all the other students for a change.

"That's sad," Scootaloo commented as she and her friends kept walking down the cold dark stairs.

"Special Ed huh? Why are you in there? Are you mentally challenged or something," Sweetie Belle asked her new friend.

"No, I'm not. I was placed in special end because I'm physically challenged," Silver Mane informed.

"That's silly you should be in regular ED classes with us. You seem like a perfectly intelligent guy to me," Scootaloo chimed in.

"So, this Ivy girl she's in special Ed too," Apple Bloom inquired as the continued to walk.

"Yes she has a degenerate eye condition which is slowly causing her to go blind. She could get an operation done to fix her eye sight but her family can't afford it. She and I used to be best friends until one day we had a massive fight that ended our friendship forever," lamented Silver Mane. "Here we are, room 1914," he said as he opened the door and looked around the dimly lit classroom.

"Oh man! This is a classroom? What a dump! No offense," Apple Boom exclaimed looking around and observing a very bare bones classroom that only had ten old desk a cement floor and an old teacher's desk along with a beat up old black board that hung on the wall. She also saw a shelf of very old looking text books standing in the comer.

"None taken," he replied with a smile.

"You see not much concern is felt for the special Ed class or it's students by the people who are in charge of the school's budget so we don't get to have all the fancy thing that the normal kids do," The blue-haired boy explained as Sweetie Belle walked over to the wall of the classroom and picked up a old photo of Silver Mane posing with his friends and teacher one day while they were all outside together sanding in what looked like a garden of some sort.

"This picture was taken in what everyone in my class called the secret rooftop garden," explained Silver Mane. "It's a secret place that I and all of my fellow students help to build and care for."

"This is Mrs. Zinnia." The boy said pointing to a young woman with light brown skin and long green hair. "Mrs. Zinnia is very kind and pretty and those are my classmates. Mrs. Zinnia use to take us up to the roof top garden on a regular basis to plant stuff like flowers and fruit bushes in these raised garden beds that are up there. We all have a good time there. Most people don't even know that the rooftop gardens exist," Silver Mane informed her. "I love the roof top garden I had some of the best times of my life up there hanging out with my friend."

"Who's that," Sweetie Belle inquired pointing to one of the female student in the picture who had long red hair and green eyes and a light green skin.

"That's Ivy. That's who I'm looking for," he told her.

The four children all gathered around and gazed at the photo for a long moment taking it in.

Bang! The heavy metal door that lead to the basement and room 1914 slammed heavily followed by the sounds of fast heavy foot falls coming down the stairs.

"We gotta run," Sweetie Belle gasped as the quiet was suddenly broken and she and her friends were jolted by the loud sudden frightening noise!

"The stairs are the only way out! We're tapped down here," said Apple Bloom looking around frantically for any exit she could find.

"Come quickly! I know a secret passage," whispered the boy as he lead the girls as fast as he could to the back of the basement where there was a small ventilation grate just big enough for them to squeeze sat. The grate pop right off with ease and Silver Mane lead the girls along as fast as he could. 


	5. Chapter 5

Silver Mane lead the girls as quickly and silently as he could through was seemed like a never-ending maze of shafts and ducts for several minutes.

"Here follow me," he whispered in a hushed tone as he exited through a vent that lead into yet another dark classroom.

"This looks like the music room," Sweetie Belle commented as she and the other girls exited through the vent.

"Anyone feel like signing a song," questioned Scootaloo sarcastically.

"Not now," Apple Bloom responded. "Come on we should block the door so that who's ever out there can't get us," heaved Apple Bloom as she tried to shove a small book shelf behind the closed door that lead to the music room. The four children all had to work together to to get the book shelf behind the door. The girls now all sat together with Silver Mane on the carpeted floor of the dimly lit room trying to catch their breath.

"We could call the coast guard or maybe the secret service or the army or the police! Somebody anybody! I don't care who! I just wanna go home before the ghost gets me!" Scootaloo suggested in hysteria!

"It's alright we're gonna to be OK. No matter what happens the most important thing is that we all stay calm," Smiled Silver Mane said in a reassuring tone of voice as he took hold of Scootaloo's hand. "Here breath into this before you hyperventilate," he instructed handing Scootaloo a brown paper bag that he pulled out from nowhere. Scootaloo took hold of the bag with both hands and did as she had been instructed.

"Maybe we should spit up and look for a way out of the school," Sweetie Belle suggested.

"No we're much safer if we all stick together," Retorted Apple Bloom.

"Yeah I think that we all should work on getting out here as fast as we can! I'm sorry Silver Mane but we can't say here and look for your missing friend! Besides she probably been eaten by the ghost by now," interjected Scootaloo removing the bag from over her mouth.

"Well you girls are free to do as you wish but I'm going to be staying here in the school and search for her for no matter how long it takes or what dangers I must face. I will do my best to find her," he boldly stated. "It must be scary for her out there being alone in the dark with her falling eye sight with that ghost chasing her," he added. "She is my friend and I will make my best effort to see that she doesn't have to go through the darkness alone. I will happily face it and defeat it to find Ivy," Said Silver Mane.

"Why are you two no longer friends," asked Scootaloo wanting to know more about what happened between Silver Mane and Ivy.

Silver Mane sighed. "We got into fight one day a few weeks back while we were both at the roof top garden. She was very angry with me because she felt that I had wronged her. I tried to explain to her that I was sorry she didn't buy it."

"Don't look so sad. I'm sure Ivy knows that you didn't mean to wrong her and that she forgives you for it. True friendship can survive anything," Scootaloo explained.

Silver Mane said nothing in response he only continued to look sadly as the floor. His heart was filled with guilt and a stabbing pain of remorse.

"Tell her that I'm sorry," he whispered softly.

"What do you say we sing a song guys," Sweetie Belle said as she picked up a small nearby six string acoustic guitar trying to change the mood of the room.

"I used to play acoustic guitar for Ivy back when we were friends," the boy lamented.

"OK... Well then never mind the song then," responded Sweetie Belle putting away the guitar as fast as she could.

After things had grown quiet and still after a moment. Bam! Bang! Slam! The door to the music room went as it all of a sudden crashed with great force against the bookshelf that now held it shut. The girls ran around the room screaming in terror!

"Don't panic! Just follow me," Silver Mane told them as he lead them back through the same grate that they had come in through.


	6. Chapter 6

He lead them down more endlessly twisting and turning ventilation shafts until they exited through a grate that opened up to the girls locker room. They all climbed out.

"Hmm. So this is what the girl's locker room looks like. I've never seen it before. Why is everything all pink," questioned Silver Mane. "What's this," he said to himself. "Property of Rainbow Dash," he said as he read the tag on a pair of rainbow colored socks that he found sitting on a bench near some lockers.

The children looked around the locker room as the cold rainstorm outside raged on. After they had completed their search of the locker room and found nothing they all sat down on a nearby bench feeling defeated. They had turned no sigh of Ivy anywhere. They sat together sat and discussed they next move.

Then from out of nowhere a loud menacing angry booming voice came over the school's internal PA system which made the young kids all jump ten feet in the air.

"Intruders! I know your here! There's no escape for you! I'm going to catch you!" Then the voice suddenly cut out and spoke no more.

"Oh! NO! The ghost knows that where here! We're all doomed!" Exclaimed Scootaloo. Who was now in a panic with her two girlfriends.

"Stay claim. Remember nothing good happens when you panic. I have another idea as where to look for Ivy," instructed Silver Mane as he lead the CMC out of the girls locker room and down the hallway as quickly as he could.

"Wait! Stop," Scootaloo huffed and sighed. "Let me just grab one thing she said as and her friends all ran passed her locker together and she then stopped to open it."

"We don't have time for this! We have to keep moving!" Apple Bloom insisted sounding afraid.

"Got it! Now, let's get out of here!" Scootaloo said.

"We're here," Sighed Silver Mane as he lead the girls into principle Celestia's office.

"Why would she be here," Sweetie Belle asked as they walked to the dark principle office that was only eliminated by blue flashes of lighting that struck the ground randomly outside.

"She might be hiding in here? This would be a safe place to conceal ones self if there was a ghost around," explained Silver Mane.

They all looked quickly around and found nothing. They all dived quickly under Principle Celestia's desk when they hear the all too familiar sounds of footsteps coming from the outside the office! The was no grates that could crawl through to escape.

"Well it looks like this might be it. We're all doomed! So before we all get gobbled up by the ghost. I want to give this to you Silver mane." Scootaloo whispered in fright as the foot falls came closer and closer to the office door. "It's the official CMC medal of honor and friendship. It shows that you are now and will always be our friend and you'll always be a member of the CMC forever," she continued as she hung the metal around his neck. "I pulled it out of my locker just for you," she whispered softly trying to keep her voice down. "We'll always be your friends forever no matter what," the three girls assured Silver Mane giving him a hug.

"Thanks girls that means a lot to me. You all are really good friends," he told them.

The foot falls grow closer and closer until they were right outside the door itself! There was a loud heavy banging on the door as if someone were trying to break it down. "Who's in there! Come out now! A frightening voice demeaned! Come out or I'm going to break the door down!"

The girls all stayed perfectly still and silent while hugging Silver Mane for protection.

"I can try and fight the ghost off! You girls stay here," Silver Mane whispered to them.

"NO! Don't leave us," they whispered back hugging him even more tightly not wanting him to go!

Then the sound of breaking glass came from down the hallway. The now four members of the CMC all listened and breathed a sigh of relief as the sounds of the foot falls moved away in the direction of the broken glass. They all quickly left the principal's office and got back into the hallway. They all moved down the hallway and then suddenly to their horror the sounds of fast footsteps came from behind them. No matter how fast they tried to move they couldn't get away from the sound of the footsteps!


	7. Chapter 7

"No more running away!" Scootaloo exclaimed as she and her friends all turned a corner into another hallway. "You guys go! I'll hold off the ghost! You all make a break for it!"

"Have you lost your apple picking mind!" Replied Apple Bloom. "That ghost will gobble you up for sure!"

"She's right! Let me be the one to stay behind," Silver Mane insisted.

"No! You have a friend to go and save! Now get moving! Beside this is what Rainbow dash would do if she were here right now," Said Scootaloo.

"How are you going to stop the ghost," asked Sweetie Belle.

"Oh! That's easy. I'm Scootaloo the hall monitor," Scootaloo said adjusting her sash. "I'll just ask him for his hall pass," the purple hair ten-year-old said with a smile trying to sound brave.

The three kids reluctantly deiced to leave their friend behind and run up a flight of stairs.

Tap! Tap! Tap! The quick moving foot falls came closer and closer to Scootaloo's position!

"Halt! Who goes there? No one is allowed in the hallway without a hall pass! I'll be needing to see your pass! Now!" She demeaned as she did her best to stand tall and sound brave! As the foot falls came closer a tall mysterious dark shadowy figure appeared before her.

"I-I Nee-need to see your hall pass," the now terrified ten-year-old stammered as the figure came right up to her.

"AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHH!" Silver Mane Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle all then turned in fright when they all heard the shrill scream of their friend come from where they had left her!

"The ghost got Scootaloo! Come on! Let's keep moving," Sweetie Belle insisted as she ran up another flight of stairs with her friends behind her.

The three kids ran along through the dark hallway that was only lit up by the random flashed of light from the outside which created a strobe light effect. Then suddenly Apple Bloom tripped and fell over something in the dark hallway. She fell to the floor with a thud.

"Apple Bloom! Are you OK," Sweetie Belle exclaimed as she and Silver Mane tried to help her to stand up.

"I think I sprained my ankle. Just leave me here," she told them as she made her best effort to stand.

"NO! Were all friends here and friends don't leave each other behind," responded Silver Mane as he dragged Apple Bloom along the floor by her shoulders with the help of Sweetie Belle.

"No! It's no use," Apple Bloom groaned as her two friends tried to drag her along. They got Apple Bloom into a nearby kindergarten classroom.

"Leave me here," she moaned.

"We'll cover you up with these blankets and pillows and stuff! You can hide here from the ghost! He won't find you here," Sweetie Belle explained as she quickly and frantically piled all the blankets should could find on top of Apple Bloom.

"We'll come back for you! I promise! Just stay here for now," Silver Mane told her.

"Not like I have much choice," responded the farm girl as Silver Mane pulled of soft blanket over her head and left the room with Sweetie Belle.

Apple bloom lay there under the many blankets as the thunderstorm continued outside. She could hear the angry footsteps of someone coming closer and closer still!

"Why did I come here to the school at night! What was I thinking," she thought to herself! Then suddenly the sounds of the foot falls stopped! She breather of sigh of relief. She was glad to no longer hear them.

The blankets and pillows were then suddenly thrown off of Apple Bloom.

"There you are! I finally found you my dear," the dark shadowy figure proclaimed in a chilling voice reaching out to grab her. She lay there exposed and helpless and threw her hands up in front of her face and cried in cold fear!

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Came the sound of Apple Blooms despite yell as it bounced and echoed all through the school!

"Not Apple Bloom too!" Sweetie Belle gasped as she and Silver Mane made their way up another flight of stairs. The two turned and ran down hallway after hallway until they didn't know where they were. They found themselves at the end of a long dark corridor with the sounds of the ghost closing in on them from behind.

"We're sunk," Sweetie Belle quivered.

"No! Not yet! You make a run for it! I'll lead our ghastly friend away," he told her.

"But!" She interjected.

"No buts now get moving," he cut her off as he turned and ran back down the hallway as fast as his mildly impaired legs could carry him. "I wanna be a wonder colt super star! I want to be the best there is," he sang loudly running back down the hallway where turned a corner hoping the ghost would follow the sound of his voice!

"What do I do?! What do I do," Sweetie Belle panicked. She then spotted a door a few feet away marked "DO NOT ENTER." She ran through the door in a panic and followed a bunch of old cracked gray steps to the top and ran through another door which looked very old and rusted. After she came through the door she unexpected found herself standing on the roof of the school. The freezing cold thunderstorm was still pouring down in buckets of rain!

She looked around as quickly as she could trying to figure out where she was. Through the flashes of lighting she could make out the image of what looked like a few old raised wooden gardening beds a couple of beat up wooden work tables and some random gardening tools that were scattered all about aimlessly. Then it hit her like a ton of apples from the tallest tree!

"This is the secret garden that Silver Mane talked about," Sweetie Belle thought.

She then realized that she was trapped up on the roof! She had to go back and fast but as soon as she turned and headed for the door it swung open and the ghost walked through! She leaped under one of the nearby work tables and did her best to hide under it! Shacking in fear as she did so!

The lone Cutie Mark Crusader watched in fright as the dark shadowy figure slowly crept around the roof top! It almost appeared to be hunting for her!

"If the ghost is here then that means that it got Silver Mane and now it's going to get me! I'd give anything to back home right now all safe and warm in my bed," she thought to herself as she shut her eyes tightly and wished the ghost would just go away! When she opened her eyes she was meet by the sight of the dark shadow figure standing before her looking straight down at her. The girl looked into the face of the entity and saw a dark cold blackness like the which she had never seen before in her life! The dark figure quickly reached out and grabbed her and pulled her against her will out from under the table.

"AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! Please don't eat me! I don't taste very good!" She screamed as she struggled with all her strength to get free from its grasp but the ghost easily kept hold of her as it took her back inside through the doorway she came in through.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO! Let me go! Please! You can't eat me! I don't even come with fries on the side!" The girl screamed and pleaded as she was taken down the stairs.

After reaching the hallway the figure kept one hand wrapped around Sweetie Belle's arm and with the other it reached into its cloak and pulled out a flash light and turned it on and shined in on its face to reveal that it was really!


	8. Chapter 8

"Vice Principle Luna! Your the scary ghost," a soaking wet freezing cold Sweetie Belle exclaimed in confusion!

"Ghost? I don't know anything about any ghost," she answered as the young girl calmed down.

"Now come along my dear. Your two girl friends are waiting for you in my office. I escorted them there for safe keeping after I discover them in the school tonight," the woman explained.

After getting Sweetie Belle a warm dry clean change of clothes from the nurse's office Luna then walk with her to where her friends were waiting. All three girls were unharmed. Luna gave them all and soft warm brown colored blankets to wrap around themselves along with some hot chocolate to drink.

"Now please explain to me why your girls are here at the school so late at night after we just close our doors for good," questioned Luna. The girls then explained all about the rumor that they had heard about the ghost and how they wanted to go and see it and how they were scared of the ghost trying to eat them.

"Now, I have a few questions of my own," Scootaloo told Luna. "If you're not a scary ghost then how come you were following us around all night with your scary foot step sounds and why where you yelling at us over the PA system in the scary mean voice?"

"Yeah and how come when we were all hiding in principle Celestia's office you went and banged on the door really super hard and yelled at us," added Apple Bloom.

"Why are there metal chains on all of the doors that leaded to the outside of the school," Sweetie Belle contributed.

"Well to be honest. I didn't realize that it was you girls who were here in the school and I thought that you might be robbers and because of this crazy rainstorm I was unable to call the police for help. So I kept trying to track you down myself. As for me yelling over the PA system I was trying to sound assertive and firm so that way if there were any burglars here in the school they would know that I was serious about finding them and stopping them and I was banging on the door to my sister's office because I thought that you might have been in there trying to steal things and I didn't want you to escape. Lastly the chains you see were put on all the doors that lead to the outside of the school were put there by me not long after everyone went home at the end of the school day to keep people from breaking in. So, I was shocked when I saw three mysterious people running all about the hallways at night making a racket," Luna told them.

"So you're not a ghost Vice principle Luna," the three young girls ask in unison with a sigh or relief.

"No, I'm afraid not. I think that you three were simply allowing your imaginations to get the better of you," Luna explained in a compassionate understanding tone of voice as she gazed down at the girls with a smile.

"You might not be a ghost Vice principle Luna but I think that is," Scootaloo exclaimed in fear after she stood up and walked over to Luna's office window and peered through it and saw a tall dark showy figure standing motionless in the silver moon light just outside the front of the school.

The thunderstorm had just stopped and the haunting dark figure stood without moving for what felt like forever to the now freighted Scootaloo. The ten year-old then tapped on the window with her finger and cried out in fear! "What is that?!" Scootaloo asked just as the entity looked up at her sharply. Scootaloo saw two large red eyes flash at her in the moonlight.

The two young girls joined their friend by the window to see what Scootaloo was yelling about.

"Somethings is out there," they shouted as they were all shocked and freighted when they saw the dark figure move slowly towards the front of the school.

"You girls stay here in my office where it's safe and keep the door locked. I'll go and see what's out there," Luna instructed them as she looked out the window and observed what the three girls where seeing.

Luna pulled down the window shade and exited the classroom. After Luna didn't return to her office for twenty minutes the three Cutie Mark Crusader's became afraid of the possibility that Luna might have been eaten up by the haunting ghostly figure they saw outside. Neither of them dared to peek out the window for fear of once again seeing the red eyed ghost.


	9. Chapter 9

The young girls then found the courage to slowly and timidly to leave Luna's office and tip toe down the hallway. They heard Luna talking with someone coming from the cafeteria. The girls approached slowly.

After they reached the cafeteria they were meet with the sight of Luna sitting and talking with a elderly woman with long gray hair. She looked old but beautiful. She was wearing a long brown cloak and a pair of large ruby tinted glasses which hide her eyes from view.

"Come girls. I want you to meet Mrs. Rose. She came here to visit our school on this night before it close for good," explained Luna.

The three girls introduced themselves and told the gray-haired lady their names and they all talked together with each other for a few minutes. Luna then deiced it was time for everyone to head home for the night before the rain started back up.

"You know what stinks? We spent all night here and we never got to see one single ghost," Sweetie Belle sighed in disappointment as she slowly walked with her two friends along with Luna and Rose down the hallway to the front of the school together.

Then a shot suddenly ran through Scootaloo's mind like a lightning bolt and filled her with panic!

"Silver Mane! We forgot about Silver Mane and Ivy too," Scootaloo declared. "He might still be here in the school somewhere!? We've gotta find him."

"Your right! I can't believe we forgot all about them," Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle both gasped.

"Luna! Did you find a boy who was about our age anywhere in the school tonight," a frantic Scootaloo questioned.

"No, I didn't," She informed her.

"Silver Mane," Rose whispered is wide eyed shock from behind her ruby tinted glasses she was still wearing. Rose sat down on a bench was directly behind her in the hallway.

"Are you girls sure that you were with him tonight," Rose inquired. Her voice was become filled with sorrow.

"Yeah. We're sure. He said the he was looking for his friend called Ivy. He wanted to tell her that he sorry for some bad thing he did or something. Why do you ask," Responded Scootaloo.

"Well you see my dear Silver Mane is dead. He has been for many decades. He passed away when he was about your age," Rose answered.

"What," the crusaders exclaimed in confusion.

"Yes. It's true and I'm the one he has been looking for. I am Ivy! My full name is Ivy Rose. I am also the reason he has gone from this world forever," She wept and sobbed as she removed her glassed to wipe away her tears and reveled her two blind eyes.

"You've lost all of your eye sight completely now." Remarked Scootaloo. Thinking back to what Silver Mane had said about Ivy's degenerate eye condition.

"Mrs. Ivy? Why are you the reason Silver Mane is gone," asked Sweetie Belle.

"Well my darling. One day long ago. Silver Mane lost control of himself during class and he jumped up from desk and ran around the classroom screaming and yelling about about a horrible frightening monster that had crawled into his head and wanted to kill him! No one knew what he was talking about or why he was acting this way. Our teacher Mrs. Zinnia was forced to call for help and she had him removed out of the classroom. He was dragged away out of the school by two strong men kicking and screaming," Ivy explained. "Later on after about two weeks had pasted one winters evening after Silver Mane had been gone from school for about two weeks and no one had heard or seen from him. I ran into him by accident at a place we called rooftop garden. Back in those days I could see, somewhat. I remember I walked through the door to the garden and I saw Silver Mane with my blurry eye sight sitting on the edge of one of the raised garden beds looking sadder then I had ever seen him before. He was watching the setting sun. He used to sit in the gardens and sing while playing a red acoustic six string guitar for me all the time. I love to hear him play his guitar," Ivy said. "I confronted him that evening with great anger and hostility. I was outraged over the fact that he could just go and terrify me and his other fellow students like that. He said that he was very sorry for what he did. He also said that he had no memory of the event. Lair! I screamed at him as I slapped him in his face and turned to leave. He tried to follow me. Saying something about how me could try and make it up to me but I turned around and shoved him away as hard as I could. He had impaired function in both his legs and because of this he fell back easily unable to keep his balance and landed face down in one of the raised garden beds. I hate you! You worthless lying monster! What don't you just go and die somewhere! I continued to scream and yell at him. I then turned and left the garden. What I didn't realize at that time was that when Silver Mane fell into the garden bed he had fallen on to a rusty gardening knife that I didn't see was there. It stabbed him right though his heart. Mrs. Zinnia took us all up the gardens the next morning we found him there died. The soil had ran red with from his blood. After the paramedics came and removed his frozen lifeless body from the school a doctor did an examination of Silver Mane's brain and found out that he had been surfing from a very small previously unknown tumor that had been resting upon his frontal cortex and it would cause his higher brain functions to become interfered with from time to time and that is what lead to his loss of control one day while in class and that's why he couldn't remember it." After that Mrs. Zinnia soon quit her job and went to work at another school somewhere far away. All of her students were transferred to different schools and we never saw each other again. My family and I all moved as far away as we could soon after that," Ivy informed them.

"Wait a second. We heard from a friend of ours that he passed away because he frozen to death while sitting outside on the swings in the playground one night," Scootaloo commented.

"I'm afraid that you shouldn't believe everything that you hear my little darling," Ivy told her.

"I look back on it now and I realize that Silver Mane wasn't the monster I was," the elderly Ivy sobbed as she sat on the bench in the dark hallway.

"I'm so sorry to hear that," said Luna trying to sound understating.

The three Cutie Mark Crusader's didn't know what to say.

"Please. May I go to the garden one last time before I leave here tonight," Ivy cried.

"Of course anything that you would like Mrs. Rose," Luna replied kindly.

Luna and the Cutie Mark Crusaders all helped Ivy to find a place to sat down on the side of one of the old garden beds.

"May I have a minute alone," she asked.

"Of course take as much time as you need. The girls and I will all be inside if you need us," Informed Luna.

After they left Ivy sat in the cold moonlight and she cried uncontrollable.

"I'm sorry! Silver Mane! If it weren't for me you still be alive. You'd be eighty years old by now! I failed to be a good friend to you and now your nothing more than bones in the ground because of me. You were my best friend. You must hate me! Can you ever forgive me," Ivy cried.

"There is nothing that needs to be forgiven. You are my friend and I will never hate you no matter what you do," the voice of Silver Mane spoke kindly as he appeared from nowhere into the moonlight glowing like a see through luminescent mist. He went and stood before her and took hold of her hands.

"I'm so sorry for what I did to you Silver Mane," the old blind woman sobbed as she heard is voice and felt the touch of his ghostly hands.

"I'm the one who should be sorry!" Silver Mane told her. "Ever since that day I terrified you my heart has been filled with regret and pain. Do you remember what I said to you the very last time you saw me," questioned Silver Mane.

"How can I forget. You said that you could try and make it up to me," she said sadly.

"I'd still like to try if you'll let me," he asked her.

"Yes. Anything," she responded.

"Do you remember the secret hiding place that only we knew about here in the garden," he asked her.

"Oh. Yes. I do. We had so much fun hiding things there," Ivy lamented remembering the good times she shared with him from so long ago. "What there in the hiding place," she questioned him.

"It's a surprise but what I can say is that I had to trade away my favorite guitar to someone who wanted it very badly in order to get it. You'll just have to have the others help you to open it up," he told her. "Those three girls seem very kind and helpful. They even let me join their club. They call it the Cutie Mark Crusaders. I'm sure if you ask them they'll let you join too. Now I have to go. Its time for me to be moving on. Just always remember that no matter what happens you'll always be my best friend forever. I love you Ivy," Silver Mane said as his luminescent figure slowly faded from sight.

"Come back! Please come back," the blind woman cried and sobbed for several minutes.


	10. Chapter 10

After she had calmed down she called for the help of the Luna and the Cutie Mark Crusaders who then came to her. Ivy told the girls to go and look inside of a large wooden tool shed that sat on the east side of the garden and to look all the way in the back of the shed. The three crusaders looked around in the old shed and found a large heavy wooden box which they slowly dragged out of the shed with much effort.

Luna walked over to it and turned the old rusty latch on its front and opened the lid.

"Oh! My," gasped Luna in astonishment as she gazed down at the sight of hundreds of gold coins!

"It's gold coins," the Crusaders exclaimed in shock.

"Look there's a note on top of the coins," Sweetie Belle said as she held it up and read it aloud.

"Dear Ivy. I don't know if this makes up for what happened but I hope you can accept it anyways. I had to trade my favorite guitar to a very rich musical instrument collector to get these coins but it was well worth it. There should be enough gold here for you to get that corrective eye surgery you need. Sorry again. Your friend Silver Mane."

The five females all sat there on the roof top in amazement. The next day Ivy had the gold traded in for a very large sum of cash. She got the corrective eye surgery she need and she lived out the rest of her days with perfect vision. Ivy was even kind enough to give all of the left-over money to Principle Celestia and Vice principle Luna so they could keep Canterlot high open and have no more financial trouble. The Cutie Mark Crusaders even let Ivy join their club and gave her every own official CMC metal of honor and friendship. Principle Celestia and Vice principle Luna with the blessing of Ivy Rose re-opened the roof top garden and made it availability to be used by everyone in the school. All the students planted something different in the garden and helped out to take care of it and keep it looking nice.

The Cutie Mark Crusaders never saw Silver Mane again but the girls all somehow knew that Silver Mane was now in a much better place somewhere way up high where he has lots of friends and one day he would be reunited with his best friend Ivy.

The End.


End file.
